Optical sensor interrogation system

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and a method for monitoring various conditions of a vehicle structure including an optical sensor comprising an optical fiber bearing a photonic crystal mounted to one end, an interrogation system including an optical signal generator interfacing with one or more of the optical sensors located remotely from the interrogation module, and a method of monitoring the vehicle structural health using the interrogation system.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of fiber opticstructural health monitors and, more particularly, to an optical sensorinterrogation system, including one or more photonic crystal-basedsensors for detecting changes in the properties of the materials orsystems being monitored, an optical interrogator module that convertsoptical signals to electrical signals for use in analyzing the status ofthe sensors, and to a method of using the interrogation system, and evenmore particularly to a miniaturized optical sensor interrogation systemthat is light-weight and simple in construction.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aerospace vehicles and systems are typically equipped with instrumentsthat monitor the health of various systems by acquiring, exchanging andanalyzing data, and the communication networks in such arrangements mustbe robust enough to withstand repetitive and potentially destructiveforces and conditions, while transmitting and processing the datacollected.

In recent years, there has been a trend to use optical apparatus in lieuof electrical or mechanical devices for the purpose of monitoring thehealth of such systems. Optical interrogation systems are integralcomponents in health monitoring systems used in chemical, biological,temperature and pressure sensing environments. Optical sensingtechniques are highly desirable for aerospace applications due to thelighter weight and EMI continuity, but to date such sensor systems haveproven too costly or complicated to deploy.

Various solutions have been proposed and tried, including Fiber BraggGrating (FBG) type sensor systems, fiber optic path sensing,piezoelectric transducers, comparative vacuum monitors, strain gaugebased systems, ultrasonic systems, and visual indicators, but each haschallenges.

Currently, while Fiber Bragg Grating devices are preferred in manyfields of Structural Health Monitoring, such devices require carefulmodification of fiber optic cable to operate as well as complicatedmethods for determining wavelength shifts and other phenomena. Suchsystems also appear to be affected by temperature changes, requiringadditional equipment to compensate.

Fiber optic path sensing is extremely attractive due to its simplicity(e.g., a loop of fiber), but the resulting system can become quitecomplex as monitoring for breakage or changes will typically requireadditional equipment such as Time Domain Reflectance equipment.

Piezoelectric devices tend to be quite expensive, due to the nature ofthe materials used in their construction. Such devices will alsotypically have features of other electrical based systems(susceptibility to EMI/Lightning) as well as the need for dual wireconnections for each individual sensor. Further, such devices tend to besensitive to certain frequencies, and may require a considerable amountof baseline data measurements in order to operate properly.

Comparative Vacuum Monitoring (CVM) makes use of very fine pressurecells and looks for pressure variations which signify cracks; thisappears to make for a simple and affordable sensor design. However, CVMappears to require tubing and pressure systems in order to operate, andknown CVM equipment appears to require the use of handheld systems inorder to be used.

Strain Gauges are an older technology that looks at resistance changes.The sensors are quite simple, being in most cases just copper traces ona flexible substrate. Installing and reading such sensors accurately canbe difficult however, and also has issues similar to the piezoelectricdesigns mentioned above.

Ultrasonic inspection is a technique currently being used, and requiresinstallation of a field device run across structures and equipment inorder to operate properly. Attempting to scale down such a system to anembedded type design would most likely result in a system very similarto a piezoelectric type system.

Visual inspection is the standard sensing method used at this time, andinvolves highly trained individuals inspecting and attempting to gaugefailures of material, and estimating how long structures can last inservice.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,007, issued to Haugse et al. on Feb. 10, 2004 andassigned to the assignee of the present disclosure, describes a systemand method for monitoring conditions of a vehicle and generating amaintenance plan according to the monitored conditions. The patentdiscloses the use of conventional optical sensors, such as Fabry-Perotinterferometric, long-period grating, and fiber Bragg grating sensors,none of which are small enough to permit miniaturization or diminishedcost of the interrogator system.

A light-weight, miniaturized, and efficient optical interrogationapparatus is therefore needed to survey data from one or more opticalsensors for the purpose of monitoring and reporting on the structuralhealth of vehicle structures and systems.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In one embodiment of the disclosure, an optical sensor includes a finitelength of optical fiber having a free end, and a photonic crystalmounted to the free end of the optical fiber. The optical fiber free endincludes a surface that is polished, and the crystal is secured to thepolished surface. The photonic crystal is coated with a material thatprotects the crystal from destructive environmental influences. Thereflectance properties of the optical sensor can be altered by applyinga range of voltages to the crystal.

In another embodiment of the disclosure, an optical interrogation systemfor collecting information from at least one optical sensor in astructure includes an optical signal generator for communicating withthe at least one optical sensor, and optical signal receiving apparatusfor collecting optical signals returned by the at least one opticalsensor, where each optical sensor comprises a fiber optic strand and aphotonic crystal wafer mounted on the fiber optic strand. The fiberoptic strand is provided with a polished end face, and the photoniccrystal wafer is secured onto the polished end face of the fiber opticstrand. The photonic crystal wafer detects changes in the reflectivityspectrum of a range of wavelengths. The optical interrogation systemfurther includes switching mechanisms arranged between the opticalsignal generator and the optical signal receiving apparatus, whereby twoor more optical signals can be transmitted or received at the same time.The switching mechanisms may include wavelength division multiplexswitches or MEMS switches. The optical signal generator may be a laseror an LED. The optical fiber may take the form of a side-scatteringlight guide, and include a length of photonic crystal material carriedon the end of the optical fiber that is monitored by the optical fiber.The optical interrogation system may further include a voltage alteringapparatus coupled with the photonic crystal to control the reflectanceproperties of the crystal. The optical sensor may detect at least one ofpressure, temperature, chemical materials or biological materials.

In still another embodiment of the disclosure, a method for monitoringthe structural health of a vehicle includes the steps of generating anoptical signal, directing the optical signal at an optical sensorlocated remotely from the optical signal generator, the optical sensorincluding a photonic crystal wafer optically interacting with theoptical signal and an environmental condition, capturing a reflectedoptical signal returned from the optical sensor, and analyzing thereflected optical signal to determine a change in the environmentalcondition. The method further includes the step of sending an alarmsignal to a control apparatus when the analyzed reflected optical signalindicates an unacceptable change in the environmental condition of thevehicle structure. The method further includes a step of firstconverting the optical signal to an electrical signal before analyzingthe signal.

Further aspects of the apparatus and the method of using the apparatusare disclosed herein. The features as discussed above, as well as otherfeatures and advantages of the present disclosure will be appreciatedand understood by those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical sensor according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram that shows the structure of the opticalinterrogation system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a failure tolerant opticalswitching system according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the optical interrogator according to thepresent disclosures, and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating steps of a method of monitoringconditions of a vehicle using an optical sensor, as has been describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing. However, manydifferent embodiments are contemplated and the present disclosure shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete and better convey the scope of the disclosure to thoseskilled in the art.

In its broadest sense, this disclosure presents a system for monitoringconditions in a vehicle and providing data representative of suchconditions to a health management system residing in the vehicle. Thesystem includes one or more optical sensors, and an opticalinterrogation apparatus located within the vehicle. The opticalinterrogation apparatus converts optical signals into electrical signalsthat can be used by the vehicle integrated health management system tomonitor the status of the systems of the vehicle.

This disclosure further presents a structural health monitoring systemthat includes one or more optical sensors, an optical interrogationapparatus, and optically responsive infrastructure located between thesensor(s) and the interrogation apparatus. The health monitoring systemis able to withstand extreme environments, and can be applied tochemical sensing, biological sensing, and temperature or pressuresensing.

Referring to FIG. 1, an optical sensor 100 includes a photonic crystal102 mounted on, and secured to, the end face 104 of a single modeoptical fiber 106. The photonic crystal, in its simplest form, is madefrom a single layer of semiconductor material, but can include severallayers of semiconductor material mounted on the end of the fiber strand106. The sensor principle is based on detecting changes in thereflectivity spectrum of photonic crystals. The single layer photoniccrystal has a sharp reflection resonance in the wavelength range that isbeing monitored. Preferably, the photonic crystal sensor is fabricatedin a silicon foundry using standard fabrication processes, and will meetthe requirements for size, interface characteristics, and robustness foroperation in the harshest operating environments. Depending on thematerial construction, various effects can be monitored, as for example,pressure against the tip of the fiber. A more complicated buildup, forexample applying a range of voltages to the photonic crystal to changereflectance properties, can allow a “smart” component to use thephotonic crystal or wafer as a low powered communications device bymodifying light reflectance that can be read by the opticalinterrogator. Another possible implementation would be to use the fiberas a side-scattering light guide, with a series of photonic crystalpatches or a length of photonic crystal material monitored by a singlefiber.

Photonic crystal sensors are also far less complicated to use andmanufacture than the Fiber Bragg Grating sensors discussed earlier inthis disclosure. Fiber Bragg Grating sensors are currently made bystripping the coating off of existing single mode fibers (from 125micrometer glass fiber), “writing” the Bragg Grating into the fiber, andthen recoating with a replacement material. Writing the grating into thefiber can be accomplished through the use of a laser and phase mask, aswell as other methods. Selection of cladding replacement, writingprocess, and fiber composition can all have an effect on the finalsensor performance. This is a complicated process to perform.

The Fiber Bragg Sensors can be highly sensitive which is a benefit, andthey lend themselves to in-line construction along the length of asingle fiber, capable of simultaneously reading data from 20 or moresensors. However, such devices operate by changing the wavelength ofreflected light (short wavelength typically) across its length. Thisdrives a lot of the complexity of the system into the interrogationequipment of the sensors, as it must be capable of reading extremelysmall changes (interference effects of all the fringe) in wavelength atvery low amplitudes of reflected light. This, it appears, is a directresult of a great deal of variability introduced during fabricationwhich can complicate construction.

Additionally, Fiber Bragg Grating sensor operation requires a changealong its length (e.g., stretching, bending, pressure, etc.). In somecases this is advantageous, but in most others, where a single point ofinterest needs to be monitored, it can be a liability. This also tendsto make the sensors naturally sensitive to temperature changes (due tothe flexing or stretching of the fiber sections) which must becompensated for.

In contrast, photonic crystals offer mass manufacturing capability,repeatability, and a highly controlled sensing area. These devices alsoact more as a pure reflector, with a greater return of incident light.Crystal lattices are fabricated using existing semiconductor techniques.These devices can then be cut out of wafers in much the same way asintegrated circuits are. For a basic installation, a fiber end ispolished using existing telecomm type equipment, and a lattice wafer isadhered to its surface. This element may be left bare, or it can becoated with a material that protects the crystal from destructiveenvironmental conditions, depending on the intended application. The useof photonic crystals significantly reduces the weight and complexity ofthe components that make up the interrogator system of the presentdisclosure, thereby permitting miniaturization of the system.

Referring to FIG. 2, the optical interrogation system 200 of the presentdisclosure is seen to include a plurality of optical sensors 202, anoptical switch 204, optical cables 206, and an optical interrogator 208.Each sensor 202 comprises the fiber-plus-photonic-crystal (FPPC)structure 100 described above.

The optical switch 204 may be an integrated, all-solid-state device thatis small, lightweight, and capable of withstanding a wide range ofvibrations. This device, which may include one or moremicroelectromechanical system switches (MEMS), is reliable in harshenvironments, is failure tolerant, and is easily serviceable. Theoptical network shown in FIG. 2 integrates fast-tunable semiconductorlasers with optical passive wavelength routers, such as waveguiderouters. The lasers enable the use of high capacity, low powerconsumption optical packet switches and a light weight interrogator.

The optical interrogator 208, which converts optical signals toelectrical signals that are used by the vehicle health management systemto monitor the status of the system sensors located at remote locationsin the vehicle, is similar to but replaces the conventionally used FiberBragg Grating sensor systems.

FIG. 3 depicts another system 300 according to the present disclosureemphasizing a redundant architecture that offers failure tolerance tothe vehicle network. A plurality of optical sensors 302 of the typeshown in FIG. 1 are each connected to a MEMS switch 304 a through acoupler 305. The MEMS switches 304 a provide connections to a back-upswitch 304 b, so that the on-board optical network can operate withminimum delay in the case of failure of the fiber-optic cables or thewave guide grating routers. The MEMS switches 304 a are small,wavelength-insensitive, and optically transparent, and thus are simpleto install and operate. Further, their switching time is on the order oftens of microseconds, which is sufficiently fast for recovery of mostfunctions given the proper redundancy management implementation. Thesystem further includes a primary interrogator 308 a and a backupinterrogator 308 b.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the components that make up theoptical interrogator 208 of the present disclosure. Interrogator 208,which provides an interface between the optical sensors and the controland data acquisition systems of the vehicle network 500, includes afiber optic receiver/transmitter 232, a signal conditioning converter234, an analog to digital converter 236, and a microcontroller 238. Thefiber optic receiver 232 converts the light intensity from an opticalfiber into an electrical signal, which is amplified and passed to afilter circuit that conditions the signal for input to theanalog-to-digital converter 236. From there, the digitized signal issent for analysis to the microcontroller 238, the latter monitoring thesignal to determine if it falls below a specified threshold. If such isdetermined, the microcontroller sends a warning signal to the vehiclenetwork 500.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing steps of a method for monitoring thestructural health of a vehicle according to the present disclosure. Inblock 401, a first step entails generating an optical signal, as forexample, by a laser or LED. Next, as shown in block 402, the opticalsignal is directed at a remotely located optical sensor in the vehicle.The sensor includes a fiber optic cable with a photonic crystal mountedto an end surface of the cable, as described above in connection withFIG. 1. In block 403, the optical signal is reflected from the sensor,and is returned and captured by optical signal receiving apparatus, asshown in block 404. In the step represented by block 405, the opticalsignal is converted to an electrical signal, and any signalconditioning, such as filtering and/or amplifying the signal is thencarried out. In the step represented by block 406, the attributes) ofinterest of the electrical signal is measured. Attributes of the signalwhich might be of interest include its amplitude, its frequency, itswavelength, etc. In the step shown in block 407, the measuredattribute(s) of the electrical signal is/are compared to a pre-selectedthreshold value, which may represent an acceptable upper limit value ofthe measured attribute. Next, as shown in block 408, the method executesa decision as to whether the value of the electrical signal attributeexceeds the respective threshold values. If the value of the electricalsignal attribute exceeds the threshold value, an alarm signal isgenerated (at block 409) and the method proceeds to block 410 where thesteps of blocks 401-408 may be repeated in accordance with therequirements of the monitoring process schedule. On the other hand, ifthe value of the electrical signal attribute does not exceed thethreshold value, then the method proceeds directly to block 410 wheresteps 401-408 are repeated according to the monitoring process schedule.It is to be understood that the monitoring process schedule might callfor a single interrogation of the optical sensors at user predeterminedintervals, continuous interrogation, repeated sets of interrogation atuser selected intervals, or any combination of interrogations andintervals. Any of the attributes of the electrical signal that may be ofinterest may be measured and evaluated, and compared against acorresponding threshold value, preferably determined and establishedbefore installation in the vehicle.

An optical interrogation system according to the present disclosure islight-weight and miniaturized, and can withstand extreme environments.The system can be applied to chemical sensing, bio sensing, andtemperature, pressure sensing. Also, it can be embedded in an aircraftfuselage and where health monitoring is desired. The sensorinterrogation system of this disclosure penetrates into the mostdemanding environments, e.g. engines and weight-bearing structures;their packaging and electronic integration are designed to tolerateextremes of temperature, mechanical vibration, corrosive materials andelectromagnetic interference, while retaining a small overall volume andnon-intrusive operation so as to not adversely affect operation of thesystems that are monitored.

The apparatus of this disclosure will allow for the addition of switchtype devices in order to increase the reuse of the interrogatorhardware. Current state of the art Fiber Bragg Grate Sensor systemsappear to focus on the use of splitters and couplers almost exclusively.While this arrangement can provide extremely fast access to sensor data,as the system is essentially connected to everything at once, it appearsto complicate the interrogation device design as all of the simultaneousreflections must be “decoded” at once. The Fiber Bragg Grate sensorsalso appear to only be capable of light modification in a very narrowspectral band, which requires additional sensitivity in theinterrogator.

The photonic crystal approach permits switching devices to operate inthe micro-, to milli-, second range dependent on size. In cases such asstructural health monitoring, an aircraft may in fact not need to haveits sensing network activated except in certain conditions where thesystem must be polled every few seconds, minutes, or even hours. Takingadvantage of this, it should be possible to reduce the complexity, costand size of the interrogator system while also increasing redundancythat may be built into the system.

For the illumination source, laser and tunable laser systems currentlyappear to be the best interrogation apparatus. CCD type equipment may beused as the sensing devices; however, filtered light sensors in arraysmay also be used. While this apparatus is already used for the FiberBragg Grate Sensors, the use of photonic crystal based materials makesdesign of the system far easier, and could enable the use of lowerquality light sources, such as LEDs, which may also be of use in thissensor system as more light energy will be reflected and there is lessneed to worry about delicate wavelength shifts.

Additionally, this sensing approach may lend itself to even lower costsensing solutions. For example, it may in fact be possible to make useof this approach with much cheaper plastic fiber cable, standard lightemitting diodes for light sources, and cheaper light sensors. In thisway the same sensing system can be adapted for low cost use in areassuch as panel switching, simple proximity sensing (doors), and lowquality pressure type applications (occupancy weight sensing systemssuch as are used in automobiles) and other applications where a lowweight, low cost, and yet EMI immune system would be of benefit. Suchscalability between low reliability-need systems and high reliabilitysystems appears attractive from a research standpoint.

While the disclosure has been made with reference to a preferredembodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An optical interrogation system comprising:an optical signal generator configured to transmit a first signal; anoptical sensor oriented to receive the first signal and transmit atleast one optical signal associated with the first signal, the opticalsensor comprising a fiber optic strand and a photonic crystal waferattached directly against a terminating end surface of a core of thefiber optic strand; optical signal receiving apparatus for collectingthe at least one optical signal transmitted by the at least one opticalsensor and converting the at least one optical signal to an electricalsignal; and switching mechanisms arranged between the optical signalgenerator and the optical signal receiving apparatus, such that two ormore optical signals may be transmitted or received at the same time. 2.The optical interrogation system of claim 1, wherein the end portioncomprises a polished end face.
 3. The optical interrogation system ofclaim 2, wherein the photonic crystal wafer detects changes in thereflectivity spectrum of a range of wavelengths.
 4. The opticalinterrogation system of claim 1, wherein the switching mechanismscomprise wavelength division multiplex switches.
 5. The opticalinterrogation system of claim 1, wherein the optical signal generatorcomprises a laser.
 6. The optical interrogation system of claim 1,wherein the optical signal generator comprises an LED.
 7. The opticalinterrogation system of claim 1, and further including voltage alteringapparatus coupled with the photonic crystal to control the reflectanceproperties of the crystal.
 8. The optical interrogation system of claim1, wherein the optical sensor detects at least one of pressure,temperature, chemical materials and biological materials.
 9. An opticalinterrogation system comprising: an optical signal generator configuredto transmit a first signal; an optical sensor oriented to receive thefirst signal and transmit at least one optical signal associated withthe first signal, the optical sensor comprising a fiber optic strand anda photonic crystal wafer attached directly against a terminating endsurface of a core of the fiber optic strand; optical signal receivingapparatus for collecting the at least one optical signal transmitted bythe at least one optical sensor and converting the at least one opticalsignal to an electrical signal; and MEMS switches arranged between theoptical signal generator and the optical signal receiving apparatus,such that two or more optical signals may be transmitted or received atthe same time.
 10. An optical interrogation system comprising: anoptical signal generator configured to transmit a first signal; anoptical sensor oriented to receive the first signal and transmit atleast one optical signal associated with the first signal, the opticalsensor comprising a fiber optic strand, a side-scattering light guide,and a length of photonic crystal material carried on an end of the fiberoptic strand is monitored by the fiber optic strand; and optical signalreceiving apparatus for collecting the at least one optical signaltransmitted by the at least one optical sensor and converting the atleast one optical signal to an electrical signal.